These Apple Pie Bars take everything you love about classic apple pie and turn it into an easy, sliceable dessert that’s perfect for sharing. With a golden shortbread style crust, a generous layer of juicy apple pie spiced apples and a delicious crumb topping, these homemade apple bars are cozy, comforting, and much simpler to make than a traditional pie. They’re perfect for fall baking, holiday gatherings, potlucks, or whenever you’re craving an easy apple dessert.
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Why Make This Recipe
I love making cookie bars. They are a great way to make a quick and simple dessert anytime you need a sweet treat. My Peach Bars, Strawberry Bars, Raspberry Oat Bars, Date Bars and No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars are all delicious and easy dessert bars. These apple bars are another easy to make dessert bars I know you will love.
- Simple pantry ingredients. You only need a handful of basic ingredients to make a both the crust and crumble topping as well as the fresh apple filling for these easy apple pie bars.
- You love sweet and tart treats. If being incredibly easy to make wasn’t reason enough, these apple crumb bars are the perfect balance of textures and flavors. Plus, they are absolutely stunning to look at.
- The perfect fall and holiday dessert. With all the delicious and cozy flavors of fall, these apple pie crumble bars are easy to make and are the perfect addition to your fall gathering.
Ingredients and Substitutions
These soft and buttery apple shortbread bars require only a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge. Here’s what you’ll need and substitutions if you are missing an ingredient.
- All Purpose Flour: To make these apple pie bars gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Unsalted Butter: Vegan butter or plant based can also be used in place of regular unsalted butter in this recipe.
- Granulated and Light Brown Sugars: This recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other recipes.
- Vanilla Extract: This gives a lovely background flavor to these apple pie cookie bars.
- Egg Yolk: This gives the shortbread cookie crust and crumb topping a bit more chewiness. If needed, omit the egg yolk to have a crunchier apple bar.
- Apples: Use apples meant for baking. I personally love using Granny Smith apples. Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples also work well.
- Apple Pie Spice: If you can find apple pie spice, I love using that blend in these apple bars. If not, use any warming spice blend you like such as pumpkin spice or chai spice. You can also add in 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon ginger.
- Cornstarch: This helps to thicken the juices releases from the apples. Feel free to use another thickening ingredient such as arrowroot.
Variations
- Apple Oat Bars: Mix in ½ cup old fashioned or rolled oats into the dry ingredients. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
- 9 x 13 pan: Double the original recipe. The bars may be a bit thicker and may need a few additional minutes in the oven.
- Maple Vanilla Glaze: Mix 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) maple syrup, 1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 ml) milk and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over the cooled apple crumble bars.
How To Make
Learn how to make apple pie bars in a few easy steps.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides. Peel, core and dice the apples into ½ inch sized cubes. Add the diced apples, sugar, light brown sugar, apple pie spice, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together until the apples are fully coated. Set aside while making the shortbread crust and crumble topping.
- Make the buttery crust and crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon or apple pie spice and salt together in a food processor. Pulse 2 -3 times to combine the ingredients. Pulse in cubes of cold butter until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Finally pulse in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture starts to clump together.
- Evenly press ⅔ of the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apple filling onto the shortbread crust. Top the apple pie filling with the remaining crumble mixture. Make sure to cover as much of the filling as much as possible, but spots of exposed filling is fine.
- Bake the apple pie bars for 45 - 55 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown with edges of the crust pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The apple filling will thicken and bubble. Cool the apple crumble bars in the pan for 1 hour. If the bars are too soft to easily transfer from the pan after 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the fridge to set for another hour. Once the bars are set, top with powdered sugar, maple glaze salted caramel sauce or enjoy as is.
How To Make Ahead, Store, Freeze and Thaw
- Make Ahead: Make the dough for the apple bars up to 2 days in advance. Store the dough wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using in the recipe.
- Store: Keep these apple pie bars covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days.
- Freeze: Make sure the apple bars are completely cooled to room temperature. Cut the bars into your preferred amount of pieces. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Transfer the bars to the fridge to thaw overnight. Warm in the microwave until your desired temperature is reached and enjoy with your preferred toppings.
M’s Expert Tips
- Use the right apples. The best apples for this apple pie bar recipe are also the best apples for baking other apple desserts. Look for tart apples like Granny Smith or sweeter, still slightly tart apples like Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Pink Lady apples.
- Use an 9 x 9 metal pan. This recipe was created using a 9 x 9 aluminum pan. Double the recipe and make in a 9 x 13 pan. Keep in mind that the bars will be thicker and will need a slightly longer bake time.
- Use parchment paper. Line the baking pan with parchment, leaving a little overhang. Once cooled, you can lift the entire batch out of the pan for easy cutting.
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in deliciously buttery crumble bars.
- Make sure to drain the excess apple filling juices. Before topping the buttery cookie crust, make sure to slightly drain any excess juice from the apple filling.
- Fully cool the bars. In order for these peach dessert bars to hold together, they need to fully cool. Ideally these bars would cool for 1 hour at room temperature and an hour in the fridge.
- Serve these apple pie bars warm with your favorite toppings. I highly recommend serving these apple bars with cold vanilla ice cream topped with salted caramel. Another delicious way to serve them is with a light dusting of powdered sugar or with a drizzle of maple glaze.
FAQs
Are apple pie bars gluten free?
This recipe for apple bars can be made gluten free by using gluten free flour.
What apples are best for apple pie bars?
Firm apples that hold their shape when baked work best. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Braeburn are all good choices. You can also combine a tart apple with a sweeter variety for more balanced flavor.
How do you keep apple pie bars from getting soggy?
Make sure to strain the apple filling juices before topping the crust, make sure to fully bake the apple pie dessert until the filling is bubbling and completely cool the apple pie bars before slicing.
Are apple pie bars easier to make than apple pie?
Yes! Apple pie bars are a great alternative to traditional apple pie because they’re made in a baking pan and don’t require shaping and crimping a traditional pie crust. They’re also easy to cut into individual portions, making them perfect for parties, potlucks, and holiday gatherings.
Other Apple Recipes Recipes to Try
If you try this Apple Pie Bars Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Apple Pie Bars Recipe
These easy apple pie bars are the perfect shortcut to homemade apple pie. With a buttery crust, gooey apple pie spiced apples, and a golden crumb topping, every bite is packed with classic apple pie flavor. They’re simple to make, easy to serve, and guaranteed to disappear fast!
Equipment
- 1 food processor (optional for quickest preparation)
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 knife
- 1 9 x 9 (23 cm) pan (aluminum or metal pan preferred)
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 4 medium apples
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Shortbread Crust and Crumble Topping
- 2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 g) cold cubed butter
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Line an 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper along the bottom and two sides.
- Peel, core and dice the apples into ½ inch sized cubes. Add the diced apples, sugar, light brown sugar, apple pie spice, cornstarch, vanilla extract, lemon juice and salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss the ingredients together until the apples are fully coated. Set aside while making the shortbread crust and crumble topping.4 medium apples, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract , 1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Make the buttery crust and crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, light brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon or apple pie spice and salt together in a food processor. Pulse 2 -3 times to combine the ingredients.2¼ cups (270 g) all purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon or apple pie spice, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Pulse in cubes of cold butter until the mixture resembles a crumble texture. Finally pulse in the egg yolk and vanilla extract until the mixture starts to clump together.¾ cup (170 g) cold cubed butter, 1 large egg yolk , 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Evenly press ⅔ of the shortbread mixture into the prepared pan. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apple filling onto the shortbread crust. Top the apple pie filling with the remaining crumble mixture. Make sure to cover as much of the filling as much as possible, but spots of exposed filling is fine.
- Bake the apple pie bars for 45 - 55 minutes or until the crust is a nice golden brown with edges of the crust pulling slightly away from the sides of the pan. The apple filling will thicken and bubble.
- Cool the apple crumble bars in the pan for 1 hour. If the bars are too soft to easily transfer from the pan after 1 hour at room temperature, transfer to the fridge to set for another hour. Once the bars are set, top with powdered sugar, maple glaze salted caramel sauce or enjoy as is.
Notes
Store: Keep these apple pie bars covered in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 - 4 days.
Serve: I highly recommend serving these apple bars with cold vanilla ice cream topped with salted caramel. Another delicious way to serve them is with a light dusting of powdered sugar or with a drizzle of maple glaze.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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